Love Amidst Wars

two

A few days passed and the flowers bloomed even more beautifully as the days went by. Every one of the Northern Kingdom people was talking about the upcoming ball held by the palace. It was the most-awaited event since there would be a possibility the King and Queen might choose a maiden to be wed to the prince.

Jake silently sipped his tea as he sat across from the Queen, his aunt. Her Majesty was peacefully admiring the palace garden but soon was interrupted when Jake began to speak.

"How's the ball preparation going, Your Majesty?"

"As usual, everything is quite hectic around here. Why? Are you excited to choose a maiden for yourself, Jake?"

The Duke smirked before placing the teacup on the table, "I don't have time to be thinking about these things. As far as I know, none of the maidens are suitable enough to become the next Duchess."

"Really? What about Lady Clarissa of the Ellis family? She is quite nice. Such an elegant lady."

"No, thank you, Your Majesty. As I said, I am not looking for a maiden to marry."

"Come on," the Queen crossed her arms, "There must be someone who catches your attention."

His mind started playing flashbacks of when he met the commoner who scolded him for killing a deer. Her brown eyes glared at him as if he had committed a huge sin. The way her fair skin became even brighter with the sunshine.

His lips curved into a smirk, "There's no one, Your Majesty."

"Not even a commoner?"

"I will never get myself involved with a commoner. They are filthy and mannerless," he arrogantly said as he tapped his cup, ordering the butler to pour some more tea.

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"Mom!" Juliette screamed in pain as her mother brushed her hair roughly. "I already told you not to go into that forest! Let alone bury a deer!" Viscountess Jane yelled as she took a hairpin from a maid who was helping her.

"That damn Duke killed Bambi. I had to! I can't just let Bambi bleed on the ground like that!"

The old woman sighed before letting her daughter's hair go. She examined her in the mirror before frowning, "Juliette."

Her voice was stern and there was no glint of playfulness or anything. Juliette bit her bottom lip nervously as she looked at her mother in the mirror.

"You are a noble lady. You are born to get married to a nobleman and live happily ever after. You must present yourself elegantly. And wear a decent outfit at least into the forest so that you won't be mistaken as a commoner."

"Mom, I won't see that Duke ever again. So why is it important to wear anything fancy? All this time I wore those shabby clothing, I was fine."

"And you know some parts of the forest belong to someone's property. So don't wander in the forest anymore. Today is the last day you can do that."

"What?!" She stood up and watched as her mother left. She held her gown before trailing behind her mother, "Mom, you can't do that! What else can I do other than being trapped in this damn prison?!"

"You call your home a prison?" Viscountess Jane raised her voice. All of the other maids stopped at whatever they were doing before looking at the mother-daughter argument.

"One day, I'm going to make you live in those shabby commoner homes. Then you'll know what real prison feels like! I'm tired of speaking about this. Go grab your pouch. We're going to be late to the grand ball."

Juliette clenched both of her fists before snatching the pouch that her maid had brought for her. She walked past her mother and left the house before entering the car. Her father was already in there, waiting patiently.

"What's up with you?" The Viscount asked confusingly.

"Nothing," she crossed her arms and looked out the window.

The car ride to the palace was rather awkward with no one willing to start a conversation. Juliette looked at her reflection at the window and saw how thick her makeup was. She frowned to herself and sighed. She hated the word 'elegant' since her mother used it so often.

As soon as they arrived at the palace, she opened the car door herself, not waiting for the driver to do it for her. She picked up her pace and walked up the steps, not caring at all about the guards who greeted her.

"Look at your daughter," Viscountess Jane said to her husband. Viscount William shook his head and smiled softly before linking his arm with his wife, "It's alright. Someone will love her for it."